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Electricity drives opportunity in the modern world. Industrial activity and critical infrastructure from telecommunications to transportation rely on electricity – access to reliable and affordable energy is essential to virtually every aspect of our increasingly dynamic and interconnected world. At present, however, about two-thirds of citizens in sub-Saharan Africa lack access to electricity.

Washington, DC, October 31, 2016 – The United States of America and the United Arab Emirates today reaffirmed their shared commitment to a strong bilateral relationship during the U.S.-UAE Strategic Energy Dialogue held at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in Washington, D.C.  U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy Dr. Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall and UAE Undersecretary of Energy Dr. Matar Al Neyadi co-chaired the meeting to exchange ideas and review joint cooperative efforts for expanded cooperation in clean energy, carbon capture, utilization, and storage, and civil nuclear energy.

Earlier this week in New Delhi, India, Deputy Secretary Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall announced that the Department of Energy (DOE) will assign an energy attaché to the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi to support the Department’s expanding portfolio of bilateral energy and climate collaboration with India.

Goal of meetings will be to expand international collaboration in clean energy research, development, demonstration and deployment to combat climate change.

The world needs a lot more clean energy, and fast. Here are 10 ways the Clean Energy Ministerial is working to deliver the solutions to climate change and improve energy access around the globe.

Learn how the U.S. and Canada are partnering to build a stronger clean energy future.

Department of Energy Assistant Secretary for International Affairs Jonathan Elkind joined Pakistan’s Ministry of Planning, Development, and Reform, the Ministry Water and Power, and the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources to announce the launch of a $3 million multi-agency technical assistance program designed to support Pakistan’s energy development efforts. The three-year Program, conducted in partnership with the U.S. Agency for International Development, will bring experts from the Department of Energy national laboratories together with Pakistani experts to develop strategies and resources for integrated energy planning, energy efficiency, and promoting private investment in renewable energy and integration.

Launched at COP21 in Paris, the Global Lighting Challenge is a race to deploy 10 billion high-efficiency, high-quality and affordable lighting fixtures and bulbs (like LEDs) around the world.

The United States of America and the Federative Republic of Brazil reaffirmed their shared commitment to joint energy and science cooperation and to the exchange of ideas during the third plenary meeting of the U.S.-Brazil Strategic Energy Dialogue.  U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy Dr. Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall co-chaired the meeting with Brazil’s Deputy Minister of Mines and Energy Luiz Eduardo Barata Ferreira on November 13 in Washington, D.C.

President Obama joins world leaders in announcing “Mission Innovation,” an initiative to dramatically accelerate global clean energy innovation to address climate change.

Yesterday, Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz and Indian Minister of State with Independent Charge for Power, Coal, and New and Renewable Energy Piyush Goyal co-chaired the U.S.-India Energy Dialogue here in Washington, DC. Their discussions focused on our mutual goals for combatting climate change, ensuring energy security, and fostering economic growth.

DOE and Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry signed a Memorandum of Cooperation to foster collaboration on carbon capture and storage technologies, along with an Implementing Arrangement to further R&D cooperation on clean energy technology.

Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker and Deputy Secretary of Energy Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall departed Beijing en route to Shanghai on Tuesday, April 14 after spending four days in China’s capital city. Secretary Pritzker and Deputy Secretary Sherwood-Randall had the opportunity to engage with key Chinese government officials while in Beijing. Both met with Premier Li Keqiang and Vice Premier Wang Yang; Minister Wan Gang from the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST); Administrator Nur Bekri from the National Energy Administration (NEA); and Vice Chairman Liu He and Vice Chairman Zhang Yong of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) among other senior officials from the Chinese government.

The Shanghai Tower will be the second tallest building in the world when it opens this month. Thanks to U.S. companies, it will also be one of the greenest.

Deputy Secretary Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall spoke about climate change, technology and business in a Beijing speech during a joint trade mission to China.

The Department of Energy and Department of Commerce have teamed up for a joint trade mission to China focused on smart cities and green infrastructure.

"The Japanese ratification of the Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage (CSC) marks an important milestone towards creating a global nuclear liability regime that will assure prompt and meaningful compensation in the event of a nuclear accident and will facilitate international cooperation on nuclear projects such as ongoing clean-up work at the Fukushima site."

Secretary Ernest Moniz and Natural Resources of Canada Minister Greg Rickford today signed an Implementing Arrangement among the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the Department of Natural Resources of Canada (NRCan) and Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) to increase collaboration in the area of civilian nuclear energy research and development (R&D).

Through the International Nuclear Energy Research Initiative (INERI), the Implementing Arrangement establishes a framework for R&D collaboration between the United States and Canada aimed at improving the cost, safety, efficiency and proliferation resistance of nuclear energy systems in the civilian sector. The Implementing Arrangement signed today provides for technical areas of collaboration in nuclear safety, reactor lifetime management, advanced reactor technologies, nuclear materials and fuels, modeling and simulation, and used fuel recycling and disposition technologies.

Today Johnson Controls International and Empower agreed to demonstrate a new district cooling technology in Dubai that has the potential to significantly reduce water use in district cooling.

The MOU between the United Arab Emirates and United States of America was signed at the start of the U.S.-UAE Strategic Energy Dialogue, which was co-chaired by UAE Energy Minister Suhail Al Mazrouei and Deputy Secretary Poneman on September 30.

Canada's Minister of Natural Resources Greg Rickford and Secretary Moniz sign a Memorandum of Understanding launching an agreement on enhanced energy collaboration between NRCan and DOE.

Deputy Secretary Poneman traveled to India July 30-31 for the U.S.-India Strategic Dialogue with Secretary Kerry and Secretary Pritzker, where he met with Indian government officials, scientists and energy industry leaders. The Deputy Secretary toured the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Honeywell, and Infosys – a company founded in 1981 by seven Indian engineers. Each of these sites showcased areas of collaboration with DOE and its national labs, as well as a shared commitment to innovation, building energy efficiency solutions and a low-carbon future.

Deputy Secretary Poneman and Minister Yildiz discussed ways our two countries can improve our energy security as well as ways to expand ongoing cooperation on energy efficiency and clean energy alternatives.

In Astana, the Deputy Secretary discussed energy issues with Prime Minister Karim Massimov, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry and New Technologies Asset Issekeshev, Minister of Foreign Affairs Erlan Idrissov, Minister of Oil and Gas Uzakbay Karabalin, then-Advisor to the President Erzhan Kazykhanov, Chairman of KazMunayGas Sauat Mynbayev, Chairman of the Atomic Energy Committee Mazhit Sharipov, Chairman of the Board of Kazatomprom Sergey Yashin, and others.

Deputy Secretary Poneman traveled to Abu Dhabi, UAE, to join Energy Minister Suhail Al Mazrouei in launching the U.S.-UAE Strategic Energy Dialogue on June 23. They addressed a wide array of subjects, including oil and gas production and related market developments, clean energy deployment and energy efficiency, carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration, and civil nuclear cooperation.